Garment cleaning machine



Sept. 9., V19.47. J. L ,ABQULADE 12,427,189

GARMENT CLEANING MACHINE Filed Feb. 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l we omqo o noon* JeanL..Bou Zaa'e ATTORNEYS Slt-` 9, 1947. J. L.. BQULADEl GARMENT CLEANING MACHINE 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Fe'b. 8, 1946 INVENTOR Jean L. .Boulade ATTDRNEYS Patented Sept. 9, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT CLEANING MACHINE Jean Louis Boulade, Alturas, Calif. Application February 8, 1946, Serial No. 646,439

, '3 Claims.

This invention relates in general to improved machinery for use in laundries or dry cleaning establishments.

One object of the present invention is .to provide a garment cleaning machine adapted for either washing or dry cleaning of garments by forcing a cleaning liquid through the garments by centrifugal force; the garments being disposed in rotary baskets of novel design, and said basketsfor the cleaning operation-running submerged in a quantity of l, cleaning liquid in a tub.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment cleaning machine, as in the preceding paragraph, in which the rotary baskets are mounted for manually controlled, vertical movement from said submerged position to anelevated position above the surface of the cleaning liquid in the tub; the baskets being power driven in either position, and when elevated function to extract the cleaning liquid from the garments' by centrifugal force. Thus, cleaning and extraction are accomplished in the same machine without the necessity of draining the same; the machine being economical in operation, as it functions with a relatively small quantity of the cleaning liquid andy a minimum of operational loss thereof.

Additional objects of the invention are to provide a garment cleaning machine arranged for ease of loading and unloading the garments; to provide a machine which functions rapidlyand smoothly to produce proper cleaning of garments; to provide a machine which can clean garments-such as wool-Without injury there to; and to provide a machine which is practical, durable, and exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts.

as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a sectional elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary transverse sectional elevation, showing mainly the mounting of the slidingglass top on the tub.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of one of the rotary baskets.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation, partly in section, showing mainly the means for raising one basket on the corresponding splined drive shaft.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section on line 6-6 of Fig. v5.

Referring now more particularly to 4the characters of reference `on the drawings, the improved garment cleaning machine comprlses an upstanding rectangular tub I of substantial height, said tub being supported by a base 2 which includes corner legs 3'. The tub is formed with a bottom 4 which inclines downwardly to the center, and a drain pipe 5 leads from said center of the bottom to a suitable point ,of discharge. A shut-.off valve 6 is interposed in the drain pipe 5, and a valve control rod 'I extends laterally from beneath the tub toapoint of access adjacent one end of the latter.

The tub is fitted, on top, with a relatively narrow, longitudinally extending center plate 8 disposed approximately midway between opposite sides of the tub I. To the back of the center plate 8 the tub includes a closed top 9, but in front of said center plate the tub is normally covered by a movable glass top I0; said movable glass top being mounted for sliding movement forwardly from its horizontal tub closing position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to a downwardly depending position in front of the tub, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The glass top IIJ, which is suitably framed, as shown, is mounted for the above movement by means of laterally projecting trunnions II on the inner corners of said top,

which trunnions ride in guide channels I2 on the,

upper edges of the tub; said guides extending forwardly from adjacent the center plate 8 to the front edge of the tub and then curving downwardly a short distance. With the trunnions II carried in the guides I2, movement of I the glass top ID from its horizontal tub closing position to its depending position in front of the tub can be accomplished. The glass top I0 is fitted, at its forward edge, with suitable handles I3.

A pair of vertical drive shafts I4 are mounted in the tub in spaced relation, said shafts being journaled in connection with the bottom 4 of` `the tub by bearings I5, and being journaled in connection with the center plate 8 by top bearings I6.

The vertical drive shafts I 4 extend upwardly to a termination some distance above the top bearings I6, and above .the latter are fitted with pulleys I1 connected by an endless crossed belt I8.

An electric motor I9 is mounted on one end of the tub, with the motor shaft 20 projecting upwardly. An endless belt and pulley unit 2l connects the motor shaft 20 and the adjacent drive shaft I4. By reason of the above arrangement 3 the shafts I4 are simultaneously driven by the motor I9, but in reverse directions.

Within the tub I each vertical drive shaft I4 is surrounded by a circular, rotary basket indicated generally at 22. As these baskets are of identical construction a description of one will suffice for both. Each basket 22 includes a perforate bottom 23, and a perforate top, the latter comprising a pair of semi-circular covers 24 hinged, as at 25, along adjacent edges, substantially diametrally of the basket, for upward opening movement. The semi-circular covers 24 are each normally held against opening by a manually releasable catch 26. Between the top and bottom thereof each basket is formed with a plurality of segmental compartments 21, each being formed by a pair of relatively widely spaced radial partitions 28, and a circumferential outer wall section 29. Adjacent ones of the radial partitions 28 of the different segmental compartments are spaced apart circumferentially of the basket a short distance so as to form relatively narrow segmental channels 30 open at their outer ends to the periphery of the basket. The radial partitions 28, together with the circumferential outer wall sections 29, are perforate, as shown.

The baskets 22, for the cleaning operation, are disposed in the tub I adjacent the bottom thereof and below vthe surface 3l of a quantity of cleaning liquid in the tub which substantially half lls the same. The baskets 22 are driven by the vertical shafts I4 as follows:

Within the tub I thevertical drive shafts I4 are splined, as at 32, and the baskets include bottom hubs 33 and top hubs 34 slidably secured in matching relation on the splines 32. Protective sleeves 35 extend between the bottom hub 33 and top hub 34 of each basketin surrounding relation to the corresponding spline 32. By reason of the above arrangement it will be seen that when the shafts I4 and splines 32 are driven-in reverse directions-the baskets are correspondingly rotated.

The baskets 22 are vertically movable on the splines 32, from a submerged position below the surface 3I of the cleaning liquid, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, to an elevated position above said liquid, as shown in dotted lines in said figure, by means of the following mechanism:

The splines 32 are longitudinally slotted on opposite sides, as at 36, and the shafts I4 are hollowfrom end to end thereof. Lift rods 31 slidably engage in the shafts I4 from their upper ends. At its lower end each lift rod 31 is fitted with a cross bar 38 which projects through the opposed slots 36 and engages beneath the top hub 34 of the corresponding basket. At their upper ends the lift rods 31 each include a hand loop 39. By pulling upward on the lift rods 31 by the hand loops 39, the top hubs 34 of the baskets are engaged and lifted, resulting in raising of said baskets on the splines 32 to said above-liquid position. The lift rods 31 are locked in elevated position by any suitable means, such as removable cross pins 40 which engage through transverse openings in said rods and seat in matching notches in the upper ends of the corresponding drive shafts I4, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

When the above described garment cleaning machine is in use, the garments are placed in the segmental compartments 21 of the baskets and the latter disposed in their lowered position in the tub I, wherein said baskets are submerged in the cleaning liquid. The drive motor I9 is then started, which causes the baskets 22 to reversely rotate at substantial speed.

By reason of the particular compartmentation of the baskets 22 the garments cannot pack together at one point in the circumference of the baskets, and are maintained in spaced relation for proper cleaning; i. e., for effective flow of the cleaning liquid through said garments. The relatively thin segmental channels 20 which exist between adjacent sides of the segmental compartments 21 assure of proper flow of the cleaning liquid into and out of said compartments 21. After the baskets 22 run in the cleaning liquid for a predetermined length of time, and during which time the cleaning liquid has been constantly urged through the garments by centrifugal force, the rotation of the baskets is then temporarily discontinued and said baskets are then elevated to their above liquid position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. Rotation of the baskets is then again commenced and during such rotation the cleaning liquid remaining in the garments is effectively discharged therefrom by centrifugal force, and is thus delivered back into the tub. When the garments have had substantially all of the cleaning liquid extracted therefrom by the above rotary motion of the baskets 22, the drive for the same is stopped and the movable glass top I0 is shifted to its open position, which exposes certain of the semi-circular covers 24 for opening, so that the cleaned garments may be readily removed from the baskets. Further garments are then placed in the baskets 22 and the above described operation is repeated, after removal of the cross pins 40 and lowering of the baskets to their submerged working position.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations therefrom may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit 'of the invention, defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A garment cleaning machine comprising a tub of substantial depth, a hollow vertical shaft having a splined portion extending into the tub, power means arranged to drive the shaft, a perforate, rotary basket surrounding the shaft in the tub, the basket including a hub splined on the splined portion of the shaft for vertical adjustment of said basket between a lowered and a raised position in the tub, and means operative to adjust the basket between said positions; said adjusting means comprising a lift rod slidably mounted in the hollow shaft, a cross head on the lower end of the rod, the splined portion of the shaft in the tub being vertically slotted on opposite sides and the ends of the cross head projecting therethrough and engageable with the hub from below, and means to releasably secure the lift rod at an elevated point whereby to maintain the basket in its corresponding position.

2. A garment cleaning machine comprising a tub of substantial depth, a hollow vertical shaft having -a splined portion extending into the tub, power means arranged to drive the shaft, a perforate, rotary basket surrounding the shaft in the tub, the basket including a hub splined on the splined portion of the shaft for vertical adjustment of said basket between a. lowered and a raised position in the tub, and means operative to adjust the basket between said positions; said adjusting means comprising a lift rod slidably mounted in the hollow shaft, a cross head on the lower end of the rod, the splined portion of the shaft in the tub being vertically slotted on opposite sides and the ends of the cross head projecting therethrough and engageable with the hub from below1 the rod having a transverse opening therethrough disposed at the upper end of the shaft when the rod is raised to elevate the basket, and a cross pin adapted` to then releasably engage through thetransverse opening and rest on said end of the shaft.

3. A garment cleaning machine comprising a tub of substantial depth, a hollow vertical shaft having a splined portion extendinginto the tub, power means arranged to drivethe shaft, a perforate rotary basket surrounding the shaft in the tub, the basket including two vertically spaced-apart hubs, at least one of which A.hubs

is splined on 'the splined portion of the shaft for Vertical adjustment of said basket between a lowered and a raised position in the tub, and means operative to adjust the basket between said positions, such latter means comprising a lift rod rounding the shaft.

slidably mounted in the hollow shaft. a crosshead on the lower end of the rod, the splined portion of the shaft being vertically slotted on opposite sides of the shaft, the crosshead projecting in guided relation into said slots between the `hubs and .being engageable with the upper hub,

whereby upon vertical movement of the rod the basket may be raised or lowered, means to releasably secure the rod at an elevated point, and a sleeve connected between the hubs and sur- JEANl LOUIS BOULADE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the lile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,935,145 Davis Nov. 14, 1933 1,269,513 Smith June 11, 1918 1,188,826 `Poulin June 27, 1916 2,277,919 Liptak Mar. 31, 1942 1,433,483 Seeds Oct. 24, 1922 707,409 Guitar Aug. 19, 1902 2,098,890 Schmitz Nov, 9J 1937 663,888 Hamer Dec. 18, 1900 Repasy at Dec, 19, 1939 

